all is well in eureka
by purplepotatopig
Summary: all's well that ends well...at least in this story. it could have been the happy continuation to "clash of the titans" instead of...
1. Chapter 1

_I had the last chapter of this written first. But I couldn't get the beginning right. I knew what I wanted for the ending, I had it all laid out but for some reason or other, the beginning had me stumped..._

_Today, I got a burst of inspiration so here's my story. You will see hints of previous episodes/scenes/dialogues. _

_As encouraged by Sydnew, I'm just letting it go. No over-thinking, over-analyzing, over-rationalizing...just writing._

_As ever, I do not own Eureka, or any of its characters - but I will always be a fan._

* * *

><p><strong>all is well in eureka<br>**

After months of screening and tests, the final line-up for the Titan mission was to be announced in a few days.

Zane was very confident he'd be on that list. His felon status was really the only thing that stood in the way. And once Jo had seen to it that he should be considered on his merits, and not his demerits, he knew he was a shoo-in for the Astraeus team.

The magnitude of the pardon was not lost on Zane. He will be forever indebted to Jo for that. Not only did that allow him to join this history-in-the-making undertaking, Jo gave him his life back.

Which made him think that, even if she won't admit it, she really does care. For him. Heck, maybe even more than cares.

She was just so damn passive-aggressive, it drove him crazy.

Why else would she go home with Zane for a "private party" after Henry and Grace's wedding? It turned out to be one of the most passionate, most intimate, most intense night of his life, only to wake up and find her gone the next morning?

After that, when he implied he wasn't leaving Eureka since Senator Wen had agreed to fast track his screening so he could "officially" catch up with the other candidates, he sensed (hoped for) her relief. But she still kept him at arms length. Or so she claimed.

And yet it was Jo who was waiting for him after his abducted-by-commandos L2 exam, armed with coffee in one hand and a change of clothes in the other. She was supportive as ever, even if they both knew he would ace the exam. Regardless, she of course demanded he do the happy dance in his PJs as well. He grinned at the memory of that "private-performance-for-an-audience-of-one"

And they have recently fallen into the habit of having dinner together at Café Diem. Some nights they were joined by either Carter and Allison, or Henry and Grace or Fargo and Holly. But on the nights that it would be just the two of them, Vincent would always give them the corner table at the back, saying it was "the most private and romantic table in the Café". It seemed even Vince was trying to be "helpful" in getting him and Jo together.

Although other than Vince, he wasn't sure if other people hadn't noticed anything different about him and Jo. They've never been affectionate in public. Not yet anyways. No holding hands, not even a peck on the cheek. But in private, Jo totally turns on the charm. Once she surprised him in his lab, knowing he was all alone working late. She crept up behind him, put her hands over his eyes, pulled back his head and gave him one of the sweetest, softest kisses he's ever enjoyed. He had pulled her hands away from his eyes and smiled "Now that I like" to which she replied in her adorable dead-pan humor "Ooops, I thought you were someone else".

Jo was most definitely passive-aggressive and driving him absolutely crazy. And he was totally enjoying every single minute of it.

He fished out his phone from his pocket. Maybe he can convince Jo to have an early celebration on the pending announcement. He thought of taking her to his cabin later. Maybe he can get her to stay, not just for the night but for the weekend… He found himself warming up to that thought

Hers was the only number, other than his mom's, that was on speed dial. "Hey Jo! …"


	2. Chapter 2

Zane was finishing up in his lab. People had started going home early to prepare for all the activities lined up for tomorrow.

Tomorrow was the big announcement. It seemed fitting that the big reveal for the final list of Team Astraeus was to be made on Founders' Day. There was to be this big ceremony at GD. General Mansfield and Senator Wen were arriving and they would be the ones to make the announcement.

The day his pardon came through he had made a to-do list. There were two remaining items left on that list. Going to Titan was one of them and he was this close to putting a check mark beside it already.

"_Being an astronaut is every kids' dream…"_

Was it so long ago that he heard those words from Jo? And he had made it his mission to get Jo as close to that dream as possible. Maybe she needed a little, okay, a lot of convincing at first, but it was worth it. Other than the selfish reason that he wanted Jo in space with him, seeing Jo believe in her "smarts" and realize she was more than a grunt with a gun, has been an amazing shared experience for them both.

He knew they were among the top candidates for the mission, but sometimes you never know with General Mansfield and Senator Wen. They were after all the ones who thought of sending a relationship auditor to review Carter and Allison, and look where that got them.**

But what if…

* * *

><p>Jo was rushing the last set of paperwork on her desk before she called it a day. She was looking forward to a quiet dinner with Zane, after all the hustle and bustle of preparations for tomorrow's grand announcement.<p>

"_Let's screw some expectations"_

Jo knew the reason Zane pushed so hard to get that slot on Astraeus wasn't really because of a deep desire to go to Titan. Judging from his less-than-stellar behavior on his first and currently only trip to space.

But typical Zane, he did not like the idea of being told he couldn't. Just because he had a criminal record. Just because they said so.

She actually felt pride in the way he fought, pushed, leveraged, wrangled his way into this final list of candidates. The pardon was just a way to get certain technicalities out of the way. But he definitely deserved this.

This was a huge mission., like in a "one-step-for-mankind" kinda way. It's the kind of undertaking that Zane would love to get his hands on, just like the big bang project he first worked on in Eureka.

Zane should absolutely go to Titan.

Jo looked at her watch. She just had one phone call to make before she leaves for Café Diem.

* * *

><p><em>**let's just assume something happened to Carter and Allison because of that audit. otherwise, Zane might not have a reason to think that something could still hold them back from going to Titan<em>


	3. Chapter 3

Almost everyone in Eureka was now gathered at the rotunda for the big announcement.

All the candidates were on the right side while General Mansfield, Senator Warren and Allison were on the other. As the names were called, the new members of the crew were asked to stand behind the trio.

Zane and Jo, standing side by side exchanged looks. They seemed very pleased with themselves. Zane reached out giving Jo's hand a quick squeeze.

As expected, Fargo and Holly's names were called, along with 6 others.

Down to the last two slots, Senator Wen cleared her throat before addressing the crowd.

"As you all know, there are only 2 slots left. We believe that all of the remaining candidates standing before you are made of the right stuff, and we would be proud to have any one of them sent on this momentous mission.

"But as it turns out, we had two candidate withdrawals. Although these two were among our strongest contenders, they have felt it best to give way to others."

"So for the final 2 slots, we'd like to call on Dr. Sydney Vaughn* and Dr. Cameron Chase.*"

Amidst the applause, Zane and Jo turned to each other and in unison

"You withdrew?"

"Why?"

"For you!"

Now everyone was looking at them…and listening.

Zane put his hand up so he could talk first.

"What the hell Jo? You've come so far. You deserve to be on that mission. Being an astronaut is every kids' dream, remember? After all you've done for me, I wanted to give you that dream."

"But I thought that was your dream Zane. I thought you wanted it that bad. God knows you worked so hard to prove to everybody that you deserve to go. Didn't you want to screw expectations?"

Zane ran one hand through his hair and held Jo's hand with the other "You know, Jo, I thought that was I wanted too at first. But then I realized I wanted something more. _To make you happy_…"

Jo was clearly touched. She practically beaming.

"…and there's one more thing I need to do. It's the last item on my to-do list."

Zane went down on one knee. A collective hush fell upon the rotunda.

Jo put her free hand on her mouth to stop herself from crying.

"My beautiful, amazing, smoldering hot, kick-ass Jojo. A year ago I never thought I'd ever find myself in this situation. But lately I've been imagining coming home to you at the end of the day. Holding you close while we sleep. And waking up next to you in the morning. And kissing you. For the rest of my life.

Someday I may realize what I did right to ever deserve someone like you, but until then, if you will have me, I'm all yours.

Marry me, Jojo"

There was no hesitation this time.

"Yes! Jo shouted. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Zane took his grandmother's ring from the chain around his neck and put in on her ring finger. Then he stood up, held her face in his hands and sealed the deal with a kiss.

Amidst the cheers and applause, Carter and Allison, Henry and Grace rushed over to their side. Finally, all was well in this timeline.

Fargo was blinking back tears in between Senator Wen and General Mansfield. To his surprise, the two were smiling and seemed to view the whole scene as a happy one, not with distaste as he would have expected.

"Pity. Those two would have made fine astronauts." General Mansfield said.

"Yes, but we'd never send them to Titan." replied Senator Wen.

This took Fargo by surprise. "May I ask why is that? From what I hear, they not only passed all the tests with flying colors, they were in your top 99 percentile"

"Well, when Jo approached me with her request to withdraw in favor of Mr. Donovan…" shared General Mansfield.

"And Zane approached me with his withdrawal in favor of Jo Lupo…" said Senator Wen.

"We realized that their rational and emotional abilities are already compromised. While it's admirable to put another person's needs, and happiness above yours, it can also cloud your judgment. Given the depth of their "passion" for each other, we thought it wise to leave them here on earth"

"Besides, " Senator Wen said "we couldn't risk these two making space babies on Titan now could we?"

* * *

><p><em>* a shout out to two other favorite pairs - Sydney and Vaughn of Alias and Cameron and Chase of House. i never got to write any fanfic for them so this will have to do<em>


End file.
